Master Class: Backbends

Backbends are one of the most challenging and dangerous sets of postures in yoga and are rarely given the time they merit in day to day classes. However, they are also one of the most beneficial. Not only do backbends create flexibility in the spine while stretching and strengthening the muscles of the back, they stretch the shoulders, open the hip flexors, create unmatched openness in the chest and heart, and touch on one of the most transformational aspects of the practice which is about bringing energy up the spine and cleansing the nervous system. Backbends thrust your full life force up through this central channel and burn through blockages along the way. This makes them incredibly profound both physically and emotionally.

In this time of global unrest and trauma, we invite you to join Malia as she safely guides you into a deeply healing and ultimately exhilarating journey that will shift your perspective, unlock your shoulders and free your spine.

Dance for Puerto Rico Fundraiser

This time it’s personal. I’m going to dance my living feet off. I don’t know what else to do right now. I tried stress.. I tried Yoga… I can’t get ahold of family or neighbors and my hometown is totally destroyed. There is nothing left to do but celebrate life. If you have ever shared any kind of love with me.. Come dance with us. And donate to help our little island recover from this Hurricane situation. 2K is the minimum goal.. but, I hope you’ll see value in helping beyond that.

One of the things I love the most about Yoga

Yoga has showed me that I can do things with my body that I never thought were possible.

There is deep satisfaction in “getting” a handstand or arm balance that I had to work on for a month or two and then finally captured- it’s what makes yoga so fun. I discovered that with the right instruction and the right training and prep poses my body can do all sorts of things that I formerly thought were reserved for rare super strong or abnormally flexible people. But the coolest thing is I didn’t have to do Yoga for 10yrs to access some of these super difficult looking postures. And sure it’s not about how “good” you are at yoga. But the exhilaration of raising your level of physical ability and meeting and exceeding what you thought was your norm is what keeps me coming back to the mat.

Everyone has goals.

Whether you have put them in to words or not yet doesn’t matter because when you start showing up to yoga class, they will most definitely begin to crystallize. Maybe you realize you don’t have much balance. Maybe your core is weak or your knees don’t feel stable. Maybe the feeling of profound relaxation you get at the end of class awakens you to how much stress you carry around and need to release.

Regardless, Hotlanta Yoga is dedicated to helping you reach those goals- both present and future. As you practice you are revealed and empowered to be your own healer, and we are here to guide you, to inspire you and to keep you safe. Alignment-based and mindful-based, we want to turn on your body, your mind and your Spirit by upping the level of your potential progression.

Yes, we are unique.. and specific in our Yoga. Yes you will learn alternate breathing techniques that help with stress and everyday life. And Yes this Yoga creates harmony as the Spirit roars.

Yoga + Cycle

I have been practicing Yoga for 18yrs and Malia has been for 23yrs. We have studied with the oldest and wisest teachers in the yoga industry. We are authentic in our Yoga… and, because Malia and I have always been athletes and will always live an athletic lifestyle, we like to turn up the challenge in our yoga to meet the intensity our minds and bodies need to constantly be reaching new levels in our evolution.

Yoga gives us Balance, Flexibility, Strength and Accuracy. Cycling gives us Stamina, Endurance and Speed. This combination of skills will positively impact every aspect of your life, very quickly improving your overall health and wellbeing.

By combining the best of both worlds, you can shed your old self, unwanted pounds and toxins, and end up healing your mind as you heal your body.

We at Hotlanta Yoga invite you to come cross train. Experience a Yoga + Cycle class, get clear, get hot, transform.

This is a Beach Bum Evacuation straight To Hotlanta Yoga!. Come get on the mat and practice with intention let’s make yoga our hurricane plan to Hotlanta Yoga! It’ll be great to practice with you again. Come get on the mat and let’s focus and practice with intention. Can’t wait to catch up afterwards. Big love!!!❤️❤️❤️

Every human being can Cultivate Magic; very real inner power that can change not just the way you look and feel but your entire outlook. We just get in our own way. We have created this insane, externally focussed, highly caffeinated culture that keeps us from cultivating and wielding our inner power. Yoga is an ancient, structured, proven prescription for magic wielding. No joke. The first ingredient is JOY. Everybody knows that if you feel good in your body, if you are healthy and pain free, you are a whole lot happier. (looking fit doesn’t’ suck either) But that’s just the first component of yoga. Profound health. And this includes strength, flexibility and mobility along with internal benefits you get from the breathing techniques and meditative flow all available through Athletic Power Yoga. But that’s just a brush across the surface of what Yoga has to offer.

The next ingredient is self regulation- the ability to control your inner stress response and emotional response in any given moment. As you create ease in the body you create ease in the mind. This development of equanimity and balance in your emotional state actually unchains you from your reactivity and has very real physical payoffs. Stress throws you off your game, hell it can kill you! Yoga cultivates a resilience to the neuroses-breeding back and forth of unchecked emotional reaction and this leads to self efficacy..i.e. power.

Finally, the last ingredient (for the purposes of this article anyway) is mindfulness. Yoga takes concentration. It is a beautiful dance where every single part of the body must work in unison to create the postures. This requires intense focus. Like meditation, it takes you out of your thinking mind and forces you into your feeling mind. Do this enough and suddenly you are able to step out of your thinking mind whenever you want and observe your flow of thought. Change your perspective and you’ll change your attitudes. Change your attitudes and suddenly your life will begin to change as a reflection of your new vibe. Yoga has been scientifically proven to have the ability to change your brain, to make chronically sad people happy, to encourage people to make better choices that lead to healthier lifestyles. It’s transformative and actually draws us all to improve and enhance our life meaning and purpose.
Now, if that isn’t Magic, I don’t know what is.

This is the reception of Hotlanta Yoga studio in the Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta. As organic and homegrown as yoga studios come. We are a mindful and alignment based Athletic power Vinyasa studio. Trend-setter of styles and where new and exciting Yoga teachers coming to cut their teeth.

Welcome to your new Yoga practice. Use this link to join our Athletic Power membership! Click Here=)